1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to web page control and, more specifically, to methods and apparatus for viewing the text in a hypertext markup language (html) file such that the text is formatted to be displayed in a reader-friendly environment.
2. Description of Related Art
With the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web as common everyday useful tools of research and recreation, the web browser is an essential piece of software on every computer or network. The web browser accesses the Internet server and allows the user to view web sites or web pages which are written in hypertext markup language (html). This html source file typically contains only text and sometimes graphics files are also incorporated therein. The html source files are typically written with html tags incorporated into the source file which are utilized by the web browser to format the source file into the html file displayed on the computer screen.
When using a current web browser to view an html file that contains text, only a portion of the text in the lines at the top and/or the bottom is displayed by the web browser due to its positioning on the screen. The partial display of text makes reading the text file on the screen cumbersome. Depending on how the text is arranged in the file, backward or forward scrolling of the file will again result in the problem of having the web browser display only a portion of a line at the top and or bottom of the screen. The text which is partially displayed may then reappear in its entirety when the user scrolls backward or forward only to have another line of text be partially displayed.
FIG. 1 illustrates a display screen 5 linked to a computer on which a current web browser has accessed and displayed the beginning of an html file containing text. Towards the bottom of display screen 5, the last line of text which is entirely displayed is denoted by numeral 10. However, the current browser also partially displays the following line of text 20. As the user scrolls forward to read the subsequent text, FIG. 2 illustrates the display screen following the scroll forward command. Although the partially displayed line of text 20 is now viewed in its entirety as line 40, the preceding line 10, which was fully displayed by the web browser previously, is also displayed again as line 30.
If the text is scrolled forward again for the user to view the remaining text of the html file, there will again be partially displayed lines of text and re-displayed lines of text in the same fashion. Scrolling the text backward results in the same condition but in the opposite condition. This may be compared to reading a book that has text at the top and bottom of the page occasionally bisected horizontally because the printer was unable to adequately position the text on each page. Thus, it is desirable to provide a web browser which adequately positions the html file so that partial lines of text are not displayed and re-displayed when scrolling the file such that reading the text on the display screen is less cumbersome.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for formatting html files for viewing on a display screen linked to a computer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for accessing and viewing an html file wherein scrolling the file backward or forward does not result in partial displays of lines of text and re-display of lines of text.
A further object of the invention is to provide an enhanced web browser for accessing and viewing web pages comprising html files containing text.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The above and other objects and advantages, which will be apparent to one of skill in the art, are achieved in the present invention which is directed to, in a first aspect, a method of viewing a hypertext markup language file containing text comprising the steps of: (a) providing a computer linked to a display screen with an adjustable number of screen rows for displaying lines of text on the screen; (b) accessing a hypertext markup language file containing lines of text; (c) determining a total number of lines of text in the file; and (d) viewing a portion of the total number of lines of text in the file, the portion having lines of text assigned to the screen rows of the screen such that only entire lines of text are displayed on the screen.
The method may further include, after step (b), the steps of creating a reserve table, the reserve table adapted to contain the number of screen rows and the total number of lines of text in the file; assigning the lines of text in the file to the screen rows; and writing the number of lines of text in the file to the reserve table to correspond to the screen rows. And further including, after step (d), the steps of reading the reserved table to determine which of the lines of text in the file corresponding to the screen rows is to be viewed on the screen; and writing the lines of text determined from the reserve table to the screen rows for viewing.
Wherein the user proceeds to forward scroll the file, the method further includes the steps of determining the number of lines of text scrolled forward; determining the number of lines of text scrolled forward to be written to the screen; assigning the lines of text to the screen rows; and writing the lines of text to the screen such that only entire lines of text are displayed on the screen.
Wherein the user proceeds to backward scroll the file, the method further includes the steps of determining the number of lines of text scrolled backward; determining the number of lines of text scrolled backward to be written to the screen; assigning the lines of text to the screen rows; and writing the lines of text to the screen such that only entire lines of text are displayed on the screen.
Preferably, step (c) comprises determining a total number of lines of text in the file by locating hypertext markup language tags in the file, the tags indicating a beginning and an end of the file.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of viewing a hypertext markup language file containing text comprising the steps of: (a) providing a computer linked to a display screen having an adjustable number of screen rows for displaying lines of text; (b) accessing a hypertext markup language file for viewing on the screen; (c) creating a reserve table, the reserve table having the number of screen rows written thereon; (d) formatting the file by locating hypertext markup language tags within the file to determine the number of lines of text in the file; (e) writing the number of lines of text in the file to the reserve table; (f) assigning, within the reserve table, the lines of text in the file to the screen rows; (g) reading the reserved table to determine which of the lines of text in the file is to be viewed on the screen; (h) writing the lines of text assigned to the screen rows to the screen; and (i) displaying only entire lines of text on the screen. Preferably, during step (i), partial lines of text are non-displayable on the screen.
The method may further include the steps of forward scrolling the file; determining the number of lines of text scrolled forward; determining the number of lines of text scrolled forward to be written to the screen; assigning the lines of text to the screen rows; and writing the lines of text to the screen such that only entire lines of text are displayed.
The method may further include the steps of backward scrolling the file; determining the number of lines of text scrolled backward; determining the number of lines of text scrolled backward to be written to the screen; assigning the lines of text to the screen rows; and writing the lines of text to the screen such that only entire lines of text are displayed.
In yet another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of browsing a web site comprising the steps of: (a) providing a web browser linked to a display screen having an adjustable number of screen rows; (b) engaging the web browser and accessing a web site; (c) accessing a hypertext markup language file on the web site; (d) assigning absolute row numbers to the file, the row numbers corresponding to the lines of text within the file; and (e) displaying the absolute row numbers which correspond to the screen rows on the display screen such that only entire lines of text are displayed.
The method may further include, prior to step (d), the steps of creating a reserve table, the reserve table adapted to contain the absolute row numbers and the screen rows; assigning the absolute screen numbers to the screen rows; and writing the absolute row numbers to the reserve table which correspond to the screen rows. Preferably, the step prior to step (e) comprises reading the reserve table to determine the lines of text in the hypertext markup language file to be displayed on the display screen.
The method may further include the steps of forward scrolling the file; determining the number of lines of text scrolled forward; determining the number of lines of text scrolled forward to be written to the screen; assigning the lines of text to the screen rows; and writing the lines of text to the screen such that only entire lines of text are displayed.
The method may further include the steps of backward scrolling the file; determining the number of lines of text scrolled backward; determining the number of lines of text scrolled backward to be written to the screen; assigning the lines of text to the screen rows; and writing the lines of text to the screen such that only entire lines of text are displayed.
In still yet another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of creating and utilizing a reserve table comprising the steps of: (a) providing a computer with a display screen having a number of screen rows, the computer having access to a hypertext markup language file; (b) selecting the file for display on the screen; (c) creating a reserve table comprising the number of screen rows for displaying lines of text on the screen and a total number of lines of text of the file; (d) assigning each line of text of the file to a screen row; and (e) displaying only entire lines of text which correspond to the screen rows of the screen.
Preferably, in step (a) the number of screen rows on the display screen is determined by the font size of the lines of text of the file. Upon scrolling forward the lines of text in the file, step (d) preferably comprises assigning each line of text scrolled forward to a screen row. Likewise, upon scrolling backward the lines of text in the file, step (d) preferably comprises assigning each line of text scrolled backward to a screen row.
In still yet another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of formatting a hypertext markup language file comprising the steps of: (a) accessing a hypertext markup language file on a computer, the file having one or more hypertext markup language tags; (b) determining a total number of lines of text in the file by locating the tags; and (c) assigning each line of text to a screen row on a display screen such that upon viewing the file, only entire lines of text will be displayed as determined by the number of screen rows on the screen.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of viewing a hypertext markup language file on a computer linked to a display screen with an adjustable number of screen rows for displaying lines of text on the screen, the method steps comprising: (a) accessing a hypertext markup language file containing lines of text; (b) determining a total number of lines of text in the file; and (c) viewing a portion of the total number of lines of text in the file, the portion having lines of text assigned to the screen rows of the screen such that only entire lines of text are displayed on the screen.
In yet a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of viewing a hypertext markup language file containing text on a display screen having an adjustable number of screen rows for displaying lines of text, the method steps comprising: (a) accessing a hypertext markup language file for viewing on the screen; (b) creating a reserve table, the table having the number of screen rows written thereon; (c) formatting the file by locating hypertext markup language tags within the file to determine the number of lines of text in the file; (d) writing the number of lines of text in the file to the reserve table; (e) assigning, within the reserve table, the lines of text in the file to the screen rows; (f) reading the reserved table to determine which of the lines of text in the file is to be viewed on the screen; (g) writing the lines of text assigned to the screen rows to the screen; and (h) displaying only entire lines of text on the screen.
In yet a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of browsing a web site utilizing a web browser linked to a display screen having an adjustable number of screen rows, the method steps comprising: (a) engaging the web browser and accessing a web site; (b) accessing a hypertext markup language file on the web site; (c) assigning absolute row numbers to the file, the row numbers corresponding to the lines of text within the file; and (d) displaying the absolute row numbers which correspond to the screen rows on the display screen such that only entire lines of text are displayed.
In still yet a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of creating and utilizing a reserve table on a computer with a display screen having a number of screen rows, the method steps comprising: (a) accessing a hypertext markup language file for display on the screen; (b) creating a reserve table comprising the number of screen rows for displaying lines of text on the screen and a total number of lines of text of the file; (c) assigning each line of text of the file to a screen row; and (d) displaying only entire lines of text which correspond to the screen rows of the screen.
In a final aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of formatting a hypertext markup language file, the method steps comprising: (a) accessing a hypertext markup language file on a computer, the file having one or more hypertext markup language tags; (b) determining a total number of lines of text in the file by locating the tags; and (c) assigning each line of text to a screen row on a display screen; and (d) displaying only entire lines of text as determined by the number of screen rows on the screen.